The present invention relates to a mechanical parking facility with at least two parking places, a platform, which can be moved by a driving mechanism, being provided for at least one vehicle, which platform can be moved with a vehicle parked on it and, in the parked position, is above at least one vehicle parking place below and can be lowered into a loading position, in which it is essentially level with the driveway, a guide rail being provided at each longitudinal side of the parking facility, which guide rail extends over a significant portion of the length of the parking facility above the lower parking place and to which a front supporting element for the platform, which is contained in the parking facility, is assigned and furthermore, rear supporting elements being provided, on which the platform is supported in its parked position as well as during a first part of the lowering motion.
Such a mechanical parking facility is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,277,978. The platform for the vehicle is guided in a total of four guiding devices, one guiding device for a front supporting wheel and one guiding device for a rear supporting wheel being provided on each side of the platform. The guiding devices, provided for the front supporting wheels and the rear supporting wheels, run parallel to one another so that the platform, loaded with a vehicle, can be shifted in parallel according to the principle of an angular elevator between a loading position, disposed behind the lower parking place, trod a parked position, disposed above the lower parking place.
The guiding devices, assigned to the front supporting wheels, are constructed to commence about a vehicle length behind the rear end of the lower parking place; the guiding devices, assigned to the rear supporting elements, protrude approximately an additional vehicle length towards the rear. Appreciable space is thus lost for the ramp-like guiding devices, The known parking device for two vehicles requires almost the same surface area as three conventional parking spaces. This makes the known parking facility unsuitable for installation in a conventional garage. Moreover, the rear guiding devices impede opening the vehicle doors when the vehicle has been driven onto the platform lowered into the loading position.
From the DE-B-1231875, a mechanical parking facility with two superimposed parking spaces is known, the upper parking space of which can be reached by way of a moveable driveway ramp. When not in use, the driveway ramp can be brought into a protected position, in that it can be pushed under the ceiling of the lower parking space. At the rear end of the ramp, wheels are provided, with which the ramp rests in the extended position on the driveway for the lower parking place. It is a disadvantage of this parking facility that the upper parking space also requires a relatively large height, since the vehicle steering bar must be able to move there. Moreover, the danger exists that the vehicles with little clearance would catch on the transition from the ramp to the upper parking place.
A further mechanical parking facility is known from the German Offenlegungsschrift 2455537. In the case of this parking facility, the platform rests in its parked position as well as during the first section of the lowering motion into the loading position on the guide rails with front supporting elements disposed essentially at the front end of the platform, as well as with rear supporting elements disposed essentially in the center of the platform. During a second section of the lowering motion, only the front supporting elements are guided in the corresponding guide rails, while the rear supporting elements are supported over articulated guide bars. During the section of the lowering motion, in which the rear supporting elements do not rest on the assigned guide rails, the articulated guide bars cause the rear supporting elements to move approximately linearly. The guide rails, assigned to the front supporting elements, end essentially at the rear end of the lower parking place at a level equal to half the height of the platform in its parked position. In its loading position, the platform assumes an inclined position with a slope of about 10.degree..
A further mechanical parking facility, in which the upper parking place is formed by a platform, which can be lowered from a parked position, disposed above the lower parking place, into a loading position essentially level with the driveway, is known from the German Auslegungsschrift 1140697. In the case of this parking facility, the platform is also supported by means of supporting elements on guide mils and, in its loading position, assumes a position with an appreciable slope. The engine of the parked vehicle is used to move the platform out of the loading into the parked position and the reverse, in that an appropriate driving mechanism is provided, on which the driving wheels of the vehicle act.
A further mechanical parking facility with two parking places disposed one above the other is known from the German Design Patent 1904755. The platform of the upper parking place is supported in this parking facility on in each case two rails, of which one pair is assigned to the front supporting elements and a further pair to the rear supporting elements of the platform. In the case of this parking facility also, the platform assumes a position in its loading state with a considerable slope relative to the horizontal driveway.
It is a disadvantage of all three of the aforementioned parking facilities that the platform, in its loading state, assumes a position with a considerable slope. This is not only detrimental to the comfort of the driver, but the slope of the platform in the loading position furthermore also leads to an appreciable expense, in order to take into account the safety requirements since, on the one hand, the platform must be considerably wider than the vehicle that is to be parked, so that the driver, when entering or leaving the vehicle, can step onto the platform next to the vehicle; moreover, a railing or the like must be provided in order to ensure that the driver, when entering or leaving the vehicle, does not fall from the side of the platform which, in the region of the door on the driver's side, is at an appreciable height above the level of the driveway. For the parking facility of the German Design Patent 1904755, a pit must moreover be excavated for the lower parking place.
A mechanical parking facility is known from the German Offenlegungsschrift 4114746, for which the upper parking place is formed by a platform, which is also guided in guide rails. The guide rails have vertical and horizontal sections, In order to lower the platform from its parked position into its loading position, it is first moved horizontally to the rear and subsequently vertically downward. Conversely, the movement of the parking platform from its loading position into its parked position is composed of a vertical movement and a subsequent horizontal movement. Disadvantages of this puking facility are, in particular, the high power that the driving mechanism must have for the vertical movement of the platform carrying the vehicle, as well as, furthermore, the extremely high stiffness required because of the projecting mounting of the platform.
Further mechanical parking facilities are known from the Ocrman Design Patents 8413121.7 and 9215549, as well as from the German Offenlegungsschriften 3535291 and 2560463. The German Design Patent 8413121.7 discloses a mechanical parking facility, for which the lower parking place is disposed at ground level and the platform is carried on two supports and can be moved vertically. However, the platform can be lowered into its loading position only when the lower parking place is not occupied. The two parking places thus are not independent of one another. In the case of the mechanical parking facility of the German Offenlegungsschrift 3535291, on the other hand, two platforms are provided, which are disposed one above the other and which can be moved coupled to one another; it is thus possible to drive on either of the two parking places independently of the other. However, in setting up the corresponding garage, a pit of considerable depth must be excavated. The same is true for a garage with the mechanical parking facility known from the German Offenlegungsschrift 2560463. Finally, from the German Design Patent 9215549.9, a two-story garage with two stationary parking places disposed one above the other is known. This garage makes do with a pit of lesser depth. This is accomplished owing to the fact that the garage door at the same time functions as an access ramp for the upper parking place.